<div>Dear CJA</div>
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<div>Unfortunately I shan't be able to make the international climate meeting - which as I understand it is a CJA one? - this weekend in Holland. Anyhow, in terms of future course, this is what I was going to suggest there, if I had been able to afford the journey. </div>
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<div>I would like to suggest CJA definitely does not dissolve (well, at least, not in the sense intended) but rather takes full advantage of its amazingly diverse international reach and radicalism. Definitely we should stay together and we should develop itself strategically as a global network, but I think we should widen our appeal while also staying true to our radicalism. </div>
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<div>With this in mind I strongly believe we should be uniting under one banner that goes beyond, but includes Climate Justice. The sanctity of the environment requires a localisation of political economy, while at the same time globalisation requires a grassroots movement for democratisation / people power with which to transform the increasingly hegemonic forces of state and capitalism. We should set our sights there and put it into the environmental and wider context in one move. </div>
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<div>Therefore we should accept that the seizure, or reclaimation of power by the people in each and every neighbourhood, workplace and/or other institutions across the world is, and always has been the aim of the global justice movement, and we should therefore be brave, and purposefully put ourselves as a group on the line with that express medium to long term aim. </div>
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<div>It may seem like an impossible task but what other alternative is there, and what other network is remotely in a position to work toward that? We may seem dispersed, but we will have allies (aswell as enemies, and those who are unsure of what side to be on) in each and every community - those believing in community, people power and equality, aswell as environmental guardianship are everywhere and we need to join the dots for people to see these are all of a piece. </div>
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<div>So it may seem like an enormous and impossibly ambitious task, but just by making it clear what we stand for, and getting started on it we will be moving forward together and magical things will happen, inshallah. </div>
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<div>Therefore, we should get our politics in order (see below for some suggestions drafted by myself and colleagues in the UK below) and then start organising at whatever scale we feel appropriate to our local conditions (township, city, nation, local neighbourhood) Peoples Assemblies (or whateve you want to call them, for want of a better word, Soviets.. :-) ) and actually begin that process of collective united struggle for the democratisation and ecologification of globalisation. By communicating to each other our successes, failures, needs and what we have to offer - via emails, video blogs, skype conference calls, actual meetings we can then begin to build a genuine solidarity, and really use this and othe international lists, and web services to the amazing purpose to which they lend themselves...</div>
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<div>These are extraordinary (and dangerous) times in which anything is possible. Country-wide, worldwide, Europe wide, if we work strategically and do not allow ourselves to dissipate we really can do this now. If not now, when? If not us, who? </div>
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<div>Here in London and the UK some of us have been working on the idea of uniting under the banner of Peoples Assemblies. After occupying Parliament Square for 3 months as "Democracy Village" (with Peoples Assemblies, discussions, decisions and direct actions takling place every day) we were eventually evicted by the Mayor of London. Here a lot of the energy was put into the campaign to get the troops out of Afghanistan, but also the camp was an eco-village, and we were consciously linked, and spoke about in the media, the International community of climate justice activists and the call for PAs that had come, albeit shakily from CJA. Since our eviction the authorities have boarded up the whole of Parliament Square, but Democracy Village Peoples Assembly has been meeting in Victoria Tower Gardens and we are now planning a Democracy Rally and Peoples Assembly in Trafalgar Square in October. We are also calling on the growing domestic anti-cuts alliance to see the importance of decentralised organising in communities, Peoples Assembly structures as both a way of helping one another (and the environment) in the community, resistance to state-capitalist solutions and building the new society all in one go. </div>
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<div>Here are some of the thoughts on PAs, and the idea of Democracy Village, including political ideology that have been put forward in the UK. For an iconic symbol that can be recognised and replicated (and also drawn upon according to local conditions) some people are suggesting blank placards</div>
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<div>A. <a href="http://www.aworldtowin.net/frontline/BuildPeoplesAssemblies.html">http://www.aworldtowin.net/frontline/BuildPeoplesAssemblies.html</a></div>
<div>B. Peoples Assemblies and the world we believe they can bring about<br> <br>Values:<br> <br>Equality - each person is able to speak and be listened to - there is no elite platform<br>Difference - we learn from each other's perspectives; we may disagree, but we listen to one another respectfully and our views become refined through the experience <br>
Solidarity - we are together because we believe in the existence of a common agenda. In spite of our differences, we pursue and find consensus over ideas and shared actions<br>Sharing - we believe in a society in which sharing and co-operation trump competition. We freely share food and other gifts at our meetings<br>
Secularity - we respect and are happy to learn from different belief systems but are committed to the ideal of secularism<br>Ecology - we believe in a new, really democratic society with a very low/zero carbon footprint<br>
Self-determination - we struggle for a new kind of freedom based on community nurturing true individuality, and vice versa - "It takes a village to bring up a child"<br> <br>Democratic Processes: <br>(1) Peoples Assemblies make decisions horizontally <br>
(2) Peoples Assemblies are interested to learn about, try out and embody new democratic practices<br> <br>Core Aims:<br>(1) Real Democracy - PAs should find ways to campaign for a really ecological, democratic society at local, national and global levels<br>
(2) Decentralisation - to bring this about sovereignty should be vested at the neighbourhood / community / workplace level<br>(3) Internationalism - PA communities link up in solidarity and support across the world<br>(4) Ideals - we are interested to bring about a world based on a Reclaimation of the Commons, Truth, Peace, Sustainability, Justice and Compassion above all things and we are willing to fight non-violently to this end <br>
(5) Peoples Assembly movement - to bring these aims about we are calling for a movement based on the idea of Peoples Assemblies<br> <br>Ideology: <br>(1) local, democratic not private or state led provision of public services (the real third way)<br>
(2) really democratic, people powered globalisation not capitalist or state-led (the real third international)<br>(3) a new appropriate political economy to match<br></div>
<div>C. <a href="http://gco2e.blogspot.com/2010/08/geoarchy-goal-of-peoples-assmeblies.html">http://gco2e.blogspot.com/2010/08/geoarchy-goal-of-peoples-assmeblies.html</a></div>
<div>D. <a href="http://www.peopleincommon.org/archive/C421.html">http://www.peopleincommon.org/archive/C421.html</a></div>
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<div>Up the global revolution</div>
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<div>Mark</div>
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<div class="gmail_quote">On 24 August 2010 10:49, Peter / GroenFront! <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:peter@groenfront.nl" target="_blank">peter@groenfront.nl</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">Dear friends,
<div><br></div>
<div>The next meeting op Climate Justice Action should, in my view , have just one agenda point. Dissolve the network of not. <br>
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<div>Climate Justice Action was formed to mobilise for Copenhagen. In 2009 it was a lively, planet wide network that was powerfull enough to make a stand in the streets of Copenhagen. In all the stress and rush to prepare for that event, we forgot to think about the future of the network itself. As a result many people dropped out after the Copenhagen summit. Discussions at the last two meetings have focused on finding a cause to keep the network alive. The standard recipe of global day of actions was brought up. But that's not enough to keep people motivated and keep the network alive. <br clear="all">
The meeting in bonn only had 30 people, the next meeting in Holland looks to be even smaller. Tasks taken up in Bonn haven't been done. </div>
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<div>Apperently the time and energy to keep the network alive isn't there any more. Most likely because the network is missing a concrete common goal. A battle to prepare for. </div>
<div>I think it is time to face facts, and dissolve CJA as it is at this moment. </div>
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<div>I would be good to keep the mailing list up, to make contacts easier, or maybey organize a conference on Climate justice in Europe. But to keep dragging the burden of an international network would be a mistake. It will drain the time and energy needed elsewhere, and give people the false hope that we are able to mobilise large amounts of activist for future actions. </div>
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<div>I ofcourse hope to be mistaken, and see lot's of angry people at the next meeting to oppose my proposal. If not come over to have a drink at the campfire. I hope anyway to see you all on the barricades , somewhere, sometime. </div>
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<div>Peter Polder </div>
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<div><br>-- <br>
<div>skype:peterpolder</div>
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<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>"We hear men speaking for us of new laws strong and sweet /Yet is there no man speaketh as we speak in the street.” <br><br>